Box Score BOX SCORE

BLOOMSBURG—Larry Webster (Hagerstown, MD/Elkton) recorded his fifth double-double of the season as the Bloomsburg University men's basketball team (16-7, 12-6 PSAC) dropped a close one to West Chester (13-9, 10-8 PSAC), 74-71.  Four Bloomsburg players finished with double figures with Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport/Williamsport) and Ed Hall (Washington, DC/Paint Branch) each scoring 16 points apiece.    

Today's game was tale of two halves for the Huskies.  Bloomsburg shot the ball extremely well in the first half, making 59.3% of their shots, knocking down 3-of-5 three point attempts and went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.  Second half shooting woes plagued Bloomsburg as they went 29.7% from the field, 0-for-10 from three point range and missed two free throws down the stretch. 

Bloomsburg got off to a fast start in the first half, knocking down three straight three pointers for a 9-0 lead at the 17:12 mark.  West Chester would eventually cut the lead to one at the 12:35 mark as Khalif Foster scored nine of his 11 game points. 

From there, Bloomsburg pieced together a 9-0 run with baskets from Ed Hall (Washington, DC/Paint Branch), Jamar Smack (Philadelphia/State College), Nnamdi Njoku (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) and a pair of free throws by Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport/Williamsport).  West Chester trimmed the lead back down to two points at the 5:03 mark but BU put together an 8-0 run for another 10 point lead at the 3:42 mark.  Larry Webster (Hagerstown, MD/Elkton) capped off the run with a monster dunk, putting BU ahead 40-30. 

The Huskies would claim a four point lead into halftime, 42-38.  Jordan paced the Huskies with 10 first half points along with five rebounds and two steals.  Hall chipped in another seven points. 

In the second half, Bloomsburg built their lead to five points at 46-41 behind back-to-back Webster lay-ins with 18:22 left in regulation.  However, the Golden Rams would click on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball as they went on an 11-0 run.  During the three and half minute stretch, BU had three turnovers and went 0-for-5 from the field. 

Bloomsburg responded with a 9-2 run to go back up, 55-54 with 10:28 to play.  The Golden Rams took the lead right back on their next possession on a Carl Johnson three pointer.

Not going away quietly, the Huskies took a two point lead, 61-59 with 6:02 to go in the game.  West Chester's Lance McDowell converted on two free throw attempts on their next possession and Carl Johnson would make a layup on the following possession to take back the two point lead.

BU's Ed Hall (Washington, DC/Paint Branch) responded with two free throws at the 4:44 mark to tie things up a 63 apiece.  However, West Chester would go on to outscore BU 11-to-8 over the final 4:31 to win, 74-71.  During the final 4:31, Bloomsburg was 3-for-7 from the field, 2-for-4 from the free throw line, and had three turnovers. 

Four Huskies finished with double figures with Jordan and Hall leading Bloomsburg with 16 points apiece.  Jordan also grabbed 11 rebounds, giving him a double-double on the day.

Webster and Njoku each scored 10 points with Webster pulling down 10 rebounds and rejecting five shots.  Njoku also had a solid day on the boards, pulling down seven rebounds. 

For the Golden Rams, Lance McDowell led all scorers with a game high 27 points and 12 rebounds. 

Bloomsburg will look to bounce back as they hit the road to take on Mansfield University this Wednesday, February 15th.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Mansfield, PA.